It wasn't until I left the army, that I learned that I found out that the murjun heaters were really called immersion heaters. These contraptions were a series of pipes, plates and burners that were used for almost everything. The devices were placed in 30gallon galvanized tubs filled with water, and used oil, gas, or even cooking oil, to fire the bottom burner, and heat up water for every use. For mess, three were used... the first for dipping the dirty dishes (each serviceman took care of his own)... the second for the first rinse, and the third for the final sterile rinse. It was used for cooking food, water for washing, or if you were lucky for showers... amd too many other uses to mention. Our wars might have been different without them... meals, sanitation and just the comfort of a hot immersion heater on a cold morning.
So how do they fit in here?... Simple... Army Coffee... 30 gallons of steaming hot water, into which was poured several pounds of ground coffee, which immediately settled to the bottom, and bubbled there all morning ready for us to dip our canteen cups in for a super hot cup of java.
Can't remember if it tasted good, or tasted at all, but on a freezing morning after a night in pup tents, it was hot... and that mattered.
Anyone else remember?
